Austin Community College is committed to incorporating sustainability into every aspect of the college, from environmentally-responsible construction and operations, to innovative learning programs that will equip ACC’s students with the tools to be resilient and sustainable leaders in their career fields.
Students:
Faculty & Staff:
Learn more about the UN SDGs
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of ambitious goals, targets and indicators adopted by all United Nations (UN) member states in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The UN SDGs are 17 goals and 169 objectives striving to achieve sustainable development across economic, social and environmental dimensions.
A key facet of the agenda is a people-centered approach and the recognition that the SDGs are interlinked and integrated. It calls for action by all countries to provide for a more prosperous, peaceful, and healthy future. The agenda also recognizes that reaching these goals requires stakeholder involvement at all levels – governments, businesses, universities, civil society, and people everywhere, including at ACC, all have roles to play.
Explore the SDGs at ACC
Sustainability in the curriculum
Many courses at ACC include topics and learning-objectives related to the UN SDGs. Students interested in gaining sustainability knowledge and skills should consider taking courses with an SDG designation.
To search for a course or program, check out our Sustainable Course Catalog below.
Instructors: Does your course connect to one or more of the 17 goals? Check out the Sustainable ACC Faculty Community, or email green@austincc.edu to learn more and access resources.
SDGs in Action: Explore Recent Projects
During the Fall 2024 semester, GIS 2401 students began work to survey, research, and map trees on all ACC campuses to establish a baseline survey of ACC’s urban tree canopy and better understand the benefits of trees related to the City of Austin’s goal of 50% tree cover by 2050.
*Full Project Profile Coming Soon
Sustainable ACC Faculty Community
Faculty and staff from all program disciplines are invited to join our online forum of sustainability-minded faculty, and access curated resources for teaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the classroom.
Featuring: Program-specific content, highlighted projects and syllabi from other courses, examples from other higher education institutions, and a shared email group to pose questions to the group and stay informed on the latest and greatest related to the SDGs at ACC.
Student benefits of participating:
- Learn valuable sustainability skills
- Become globally conscious leaders in their career fields
Faculty benefits of participating:
- Join a growing network of sustainability-minded faculty & staff
- Access resources available from the Office of Energy & Sustainability
- Market your course to a new generation of students interested in sustainability
- Get credit for content that may already be included in courses
- Provide students with the tools and competencies needed to address global issues that affect us all
Contact green@austincc.edu if you are interested in adding your course to the program list, or to learn more.
Student Service-Learning Opportunities
Service learning combines learning objectives with community service to provide a pragmatic, progressive learning experience while meeting societal needs1. The Office of Energy & Sustainability and Office of Experiential Learning can help faculty incorporate service-learning in their courses through sustainability-focused curriculum and volunteer opportunities. Check out our current list of Green Volunteering – local opportunities. This list includes local opportunities and ACC Office of Energy & Sustainability opportunities.
1McDonald, Betty. Improving Teaching and Learning through Experiential Learning. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2020.
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